GASOMETER: WELL MADE VERY COOL OLD AUTO GAUGE TOOL

[dimwittedmoose51]

My Thursday and Saturday hunts were well rewarded and ther isn't enough server space to put everything up here, so I'll just hit the weird stuff over the next few days.

First I found this old vacuum gauge in a garage in Elk Run Heights and the family was giving away stuff or selliing dirt cheap.  I grabbed most anything that even looked old including an old peach basket full of old rusty wrenches, but this old gauge really caught my eye.  It's made by some speedometer company and originally I was going to take it apart and saned off the rusty outer crust and make it purdy again and then use it on my Subaru wagon to get better MPG.   Once I go it apart and saw that the inside housing looked just like the outside shousing, we put away the sandpaper.  I toolk some photos of it apart and marveled at the nearly 100% use of brass for all the movements in the gauge.  The orifice is really small down at the barb fitting, but it works and responds instantly.  The date stamp inside the housing said September of 1952, so how this thing has survived inasctivity for so long is beyond me.  Wish everything was made this well today.  Oh well.  Enjoy the way"it used to be"

DM&FS

[scottg]

 It can't get much cuter than that!
I can't believe the dial is so mint! I see gauges all the time that are much newer, with the dreaded rusty face.
 You can fix everything else easy, but those faces are tough.
 
I would keep it dry and safe, wherever I kept it.
 yours Scott   

[Aunt Phil]

Thanks for the return to 1964.

Free Ride Fred had one of those mounted right square in front of his speedometer so he could get every last inch from each gallon of gas.  He ran a lot of errands for the boys prison, and gave occasional driving lessons.
Guarandamntee Fred never got a speeding ticket.

Fred also went nuts finding the tiny vacuum leak caused by inserting a needle from the nurse's office into a hose.  It was probably a gift from somebody who had been given a free ride,
Fred also believed clutches were there to enable coasting for better mileage.

[rusty]

> to enable coasting for better mileage

hehe

I knew a fellow who used to shift his car into neutral to save gas, twas an automatic....

One day he was coasting along when he decided to shift it back into drive.
But he missed a but and hit the shift on the column with his hand,
instead of going into drive...
 it went into reverse....at 50 MPH

He saved quite a lot of gas after that....

[Lewill2]

I worked for US Gauge out of high school, brass was very common to use for pressure and vaccuum gauges. screen print the dials, silver solder the tubes to the bases and machine or stamp out the movement parts. I worked in the engineering department and also got the chance to walk sample gauges through production and/or the model shop. That was 1967, plastic dials were used for back lit gauges used for automotive applications and aircraft/aerospace applications. Way before autocad and all the computer drafting applications. 

[john k]

In the days of automotive carburetion, a person could save by using  a very light foot.   Not so sure today with fuel injection, but hey, hook it up and try it and let us know. 

[rusty]

I think you should go out and buy a '52 Pickup for it ;P

PS 1952 ad:

[dimwittedmoose51]

I prolly have 50 cents tied up in it, so the retail price of $3.95 is a hoot!!